Model Behavior

Model behavior

10/31/2007 11:50:00 PM

Article by Kim Kaiser

<h1>Model behavior</h1>Seattle-based cabinet shop successfully manipulates models into custom projects with the help of 3-D modeling softwareWhen Doug Lewis started a bamboo nursery with his mother, "going green" wasn't the buzzword it is today. However, there were a lot of people in his hometown of Seattle upset about the way old growth timber was being handled. Lewis saw an opportunity and jumped on it."I thought bamboo was a way of providing a solution because obviously we need beautiful wood," he says.In 1992 Lewis decided to expand the business and opened a laminated bamboo factory, Bamboo Hardwoods, in Vietnam. "Still one of my top interests is the growing aspect of the industry, but at the time there was no market or product," he says.<h2>COMING TO AMERICA</h2>Originally, in 1992 and for a long time, Bamboo Hardwoods was based only in Vietnam and sold bamboo furniture to importers. Today, it is a U.S. company manufacturing in Seattle as well as importing a number of items from Asia, Lewis, president of Bamboo Hardwoods, says. Lewis incorporated the U.S. company as Bamboo Hardwoods in 1995 after opening a small warehouse in Seattle.The switch has shifted the company a lot."Obviously, in America we can't build the same way we do in Vietnam," Lewis says. "Bamboo Hardwoods Vietnam produces beautiful prefabricated houses. We've done over 100 houses, it might be hundreds, mostly in Hawaii. They are beautiful high-end homes with a lot of bamboo that is like artwork. If you look at the ceiling, the poles and such are really beautiful. In Seattle, we don't work with bamboo poles; we work with plywood and CNC routers."Since starting the U.S. company, Bamboo Hardwoods has moved its warehouse four times. "We're just moving in [to the current location], but for the last several years all of our energies have been solely with Bamboo Hardwoods here and not in Vietnam. Vietnam has basically spun off," Lewis explains.The new location, Lewis says, "is fantastic" and will be Bamboo Hardwoods' home for quite some time. The company now has five store locations throughout the Seattle area.<h2>SOFTWARE, TECHNOLOGY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE</h2>Two years ago Bamboo Hardwoods invested in its first router from ShopBot. "We got the controller from them and made it into a 5-axis router with a spindle," Lewis says. "The spindles and bearings made it into a bigger faster machine with the controller."The addition of the machine has more or less made Bamboo's production possible, Lewis says. Before getting the router, only the Vietnam company was producing cabinets. "To me it's like, 'wow this company is coming back to America because of compounds of various technologies,' " Lewis says.In conjunction with the router, Bamboo Hardwoods also uses Alibre and Mastercam software to design and code its products."What we've done with Alibre is made those [designs] into parametric models people can view as a 3-D PDF that can be e-mailed to them, or they can actually manipulate it themselves to change the dimensions," Lewis explains. "The cabinets can get a little bit more complex than many types of furniture. To me, it's interesting how it makes manufacturing in America realistically done. It's not only the just-in-time component, though that's important in a lot of cases, but also the ease and accuracy and control that an end user — the cabinet shop, a contractor or even the homeowner — has to make their dream, their idea come true."Software, like that which Bamboo Hardwoods is using, can help with efficiency; however, it can also be expensive to get into because of the coding, Lewis says. "But if you get good at it, I can imagine how a cabinet shop could work, and we see it in our own shop."Lewis says the cabinets he's producing have become surprisingly custom as the line that separates the custom cabinets from the noncustom cabinets becomes blurred.He says 90 percent of the time it really just comes down to changing dimensions."Being able to do it online, someone can come in and just change it," Lewis says. "What we've done with bathroom vanities is a great example. It seems like it's working there; people can change it and it works."<h2>STEPS ALONG THE WAY</h2>The first steps in the process are the most important in terms of being efficient, Lewis says. The time it takes to get the actual measurements of the product base and finding the dimensions of the appliances and hardware affects the timeline significantly."Those two things can take a surprising amount of time," Lewis says. "The cutting is quite easy and fast and really isn't a big part of the challenge. It's not really a challenge at all."The next big questions come when it's time for sanding, finishing and assembly and deciding who exactly will be doing it. Currently, Bamboo Hardwoods is outsourcing its sanding and finishing."The easy parts that are automated and work well are from design to code, which is just through Mastercam, and the cutting. Then the steps on both sides involve some deliberation on our part and the customer's part," Lewis says.Since bamboo is not a hardwood, edgebanding is not necessary, and the exposed edge shows beautiful detail, Lewis says.In theory, Bamboo Hardwoods could have a customer's project done within days."Design to code and cutting, we can do that immediately and have it done in several days. That basically doesn't happen though because the design usually takes time," Lewis says.Working out the details is the time-consuming part; however, having all those details correct upfront is what makes the cutting aspect of the job so easy, Lewis explains.<h2>MODEL SELECTION</h2>Originally, Bamboo Hardwoods planned to only offer four or five models, but Lewis says that number keeps growing. If a customer works off of a model, simply changing dimensions, Lewis says it can be done the same week. If they are not working off a model, the process takes more time because more work needs to be done on the front end designing the cabinets."The dream, the vision is that the models are either so many that they can choose and then change it or that one model is good enough," Lewis says."There are pros and cons to those two ways, but basically if they find a model and manipulate it, we can get it done right away."The way it works now is customers will send Bamboo Hardwoods an e-mail with the dimensions and some of their ideas. Then, Bamboo will send them a 3-D PDF, either of a current model that is a close match or of a manipulated model that represents what the customer described."We now have a bigger quiver than we want. It might be that we can get back to having four or five models that someone can look at, but currently we're just sort of choosing one and saying, 'here, this is what you're looking for,' " Lewis says. "It's actually working surprisingly well. It's really easy to look at them and say 'oh, yeah, that reminds me of this,' and bam boom you just get it to them."Bamboo Hardwoods' ability to efficiently work off of models and its focus on CNC-only production is what sets it apart from the competition, Lewis says. "It's forced us to really focus on the programming."<h2>BEYOND BAMBOO CABINETS</h2>In addition to manufacturing cabinets, Bamboo Hardwoods also supplies bamboo plywood sheets and cut pieces for other companies. Getting the word out about bamboo is important to Lewis."One of the things I'd love for people to be aware of is just how easy and nice bamboo plywood is," Lewis says.Down the road, Lewis would like to fill Bamboo Hardwoods' five stores with furniture models that can be manipulated by the customer, much like its cabinets. He would also like to take on more work producing parts for other companies.Says Lewis: "I enjoy working with the folks in the same industry to make parts for people. I think that will be something that we'll grow into. Bamboo plywood is becoming a big thing. I think the most growth will come not from things that we make but from the materials that we stock for other companies."Seventeen years later, Lewis has grown from what started off as a nursery into a successful manufacturing venture. However, the growing aspect of the industry is still at the heart of the company."If I had to boil it down, it's about sustainable agriculture," he says.<div class="sidebar"><h2>Bamboo Hardwoods</h2>Year established: 1995Location: Seattle, Wash.Products: Bamboo cabinets, components, flooringMarket area: Greater SeattleFacility size: 10,000 sq. ft.Employees: 25President: Doug LewisYearly sales volume: Over $4 million</div>